Talk to me about cloth diapering, please!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

So....I don't know if anybody remembers, but I had expressed interest in cloth diapering, but was scared off by the initial investment of it (I just simply cannot afford it). Anyway, after Bethany's very short lived baby shower thread, I was offered some cloth diapers. WAHOO!!

 

Now, I need to learn. I've read some over at Diaper Swappers, but I think I'm a little dense.....or slow. I'm so overwhelmed with the process.

 

Can you walk me through this? Step by step....like you're talking to a kindergartener, please :)

 

Baby soils diaper (I'm breastfeeding exclusively until prob at least 7m....maybe longer).....now what? What do I need to add to my "to-buy" list to be prepared for this process?

[TammyS]

Baby soils diaper (I'm breastfeeding exclusively until prob at least 7m....maybe longer).....now what? What do I need to add to my "to-buy" list to be prepared for this process?

 

For your to-buy list (assuming you aren't supplementing with disposables):

 

enough covers of whatever sort you like, at least 6

 

wipes? I used a couple of old towels that I cut up

 

2 "diaper pail liners" (this is a waterproof bag that goes inside of a 7 gallon trash can, you can pull the whole thing out, dump the diapers and bag in the wash, put fresh liner in your trash can, no need to wash trash can)....optional, because you could just wash the can, but I found it was worth it

 

Some kind of bag to take home dirty dipes. There are small wet bags that are washable. Or you can just use plastic trashbags and toss them. Whatever you like.

 

Downy ball (to put cheap white vinegar in that will go in the rinse cycle and help get soap off of your dipes)

 

Really, there is nothing else you need. There are other things you can buy, but nothing you totally need.

 

For laundering: while you are exclusively bfing....7 gallon trash can quite full is a full load. Just put the dirty dipe in the pail. No need to rinse or anything. When pail is full, dump in washer, along with the liner. Rinse without soap on cold. Wash on full hot (you may want to turn your hot water heater up) with soap of your choice. I do not believe that diapers need the various special soaps that are out there. Your reg laundry soap is fine. The important thing is to make sure it all gets rinsed out. After some trial and error, you'll figure out the right amount of soap. I find that about 1/2 the recommended amount worked for me. Plain, white vinegar in the rinse is supposed to help get the soap off if you have hard water. Dry in whatever method you prefer. If you have prefolds, I find they dry a little better if you shake them open before putting in the dryer.

[Random]

It depends on what kind of diaper you buy. I suggest reading at diaperjungle.com.

 

This is what I did:

Baby soils diaper. I change her diaper and put the dirty one into a pail. I washed every 2 days. I hung the diapers to dry, rather than using a dryer.

 

You'll have to do some experimenting as to which detergent will work best for your particular situation.

 

While breastfeeding, there was no need for me to rinse a dirty diaper before washing in the machine.

 

Best wishes!

[Izzy]

I don't cloth diaper anymore but I have cloth diapered 3 kids. Have you decided what type of diapers you want or what do you have already? Also, type of price range are you looking at. That will help a lot. :D

[Izzy]

This is the best site I've found for beginners. There are plenty of baby pics and how to pages. :)

 

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/

[Random]

Oh, I'm sorry. I ignored the buy-list question.

 

This is what I found to be essential, and this was my entire cloth diapering set-up:

 

-enough diapers to last three days between washes.

-soft washcloths for wipes

-wet bag for carrying dirty diapers while out and about

-a pail to hold dirty diapers. I never needed a lidded can or a lined can or bought a liner. I kept the pail in the bathtub and wiped it down with disinfectant every time I emptied it. I washed the cloth I used to wipe down the pail in the load of diapers.

-after baby starts solids, I had to have a diaper sprayer.

-whatever detergent you find will get the diapers clean.

-clothes pins for hanging diapers up to dry

[AdventureMoms]

After baby soils diaper, toss the diaper in the wash bag. If you have pockets pull the inserts out as you do this. If you have velcro, fold the tabs over. When that is full or when you're low on diapers, toss the dirties in the washer. Run a rinse cycle, then wash on hot with a small amount of detergent. Then dry and you're done.

 

If you have enough diapers/covers all you need is a wet bag (waterproof bag to hold soiled diapers) for home and one for the diaper bag. And something to use for wipes. You could use disposable wipes and trash bags ( ziplocks for the diaper bag) but you can make wipes out of anything and the wet bags are fairly cheap.

[BrookValley.]

Woohooo! With the amount of information out there, it does seem overwhelming--really, it's not! :)

 

Are you diapers already purchased, or do you need help with that, too? I suggest prefolds and covers (Thirsties are my fav; Bummis or Flip are a good, inexpensive choice, too). Cheap and easy to wash.

 

Detergent does matter to me. Many can cause build-up, which will cause your diapers to stink. Real bad. There's a great comparison chart here: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

I can get a large jug of Ecos unscented at walmart for less than $9. It doesn't have to be super fancy or expensive, but I would pick one rated good for diapers. White vinegar is your friend, too, as already mentioned!

 

I never had a fancy pail or sprayer. I used a plastic trash can, no liner. Once we were in the solid stage, I dumped (and swished, if necessary) in the toilet. No biggie. I used plastic bags for dirty diapers while on the go.

 

Basically, you will figure out what works best for you, and it will be much easier than you think. :) I'm excited that cloth diapering is now an option for you!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

It depends on what kind of diaper you buy. I suggest reading at diaperjungle.com.

 

This is what I did:

Baby soils diaper. I change her diaper and put the dirty one into a pail. I washed every 2 days. I hung the diapers to dry, rather than using a dryer.

 

You'll have to do some experimenting as to which detergent will work best for your particular situation.

 

While breastfeeding, there was no need for me to rinse a dirty diaper before washing in the machine.

 

Best wishes!

 

Perfect......I think I can handle this.

 

I don't cloth diaper anymore but I have cloth diapered 3 kids. Have you decided what type of diapers you want or what do you have already? Also, type of price range are you looking at. That will help a lot. :D

 

I'm actually being given hand me down diapers from another Hive member :) They are fitteds. Last I knew she couldn't find her covers though...... I have little to no $$ to spend, but will find a way to do what I need to do :)

 

Oh, I'm sorry. I ignored the buy-list question.

 

This is what I found to be essential, and this was my entire cloth diapering set-up:

 

-enough diapers to last three days between washes.

-soft washcloths for wipes

-wet bag for carrying dirty diapers while out and about

-a pail to hold dirty diapers. I never needed a lidded can or a lined can or bought a liner. I kept the pail in the bathtub and wiped it down with disinfectant every time I emptied it. I washed the cloth I used to wipe down the pail in the load of diapers.

-after baby starts solids, I had to have a diaper sprayer.

-whatever detergent you find will get the diapers clean.

-clothes pins for hanging diapers up to dry

 

After baby soils diaper, toss the diaper in the wash bag. If you have pockets pull the inserts out as you do this. If you have velcro, fold the tabs over. When that is full or when you're low on diapers, toss the dirties in the washer. Run a rinse cycle, then wash on hot with a small amount of detergent. Then dry and you're done.

 

If you have enough diapers/covers all you need is a wet bag (waterproof bag to hold soiled diapers) for home and one for the diaper bag. And something to use for wipes. You could use disposable wipes and trash bags ( ziplocks for the diaper bag) but you can make wipes out of anything and the wet bags are fairly cheap.

 

Suggestions for brands for wet bags?

[BrookValley.]

If you just need covers, keep an eye out on Cotton Babies--they often offer 'seconds' at deep discount, and shipping is free. Yesterday they had Flip covers for around $7 and Econobums for $5. Both of these are one-size covers, meaning they adjust in size from birth to potty training (in theory). You can't get any cheaper than that! I recently ordered a few Flips as seconds thru them and they look great. I can't tell they are 'off' at all.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Woohooo! With the amount of information out there, it does seem overwhelming--really, it's not! :)

 

Are you diapers already purchased, or do you need help with that, too? I suggest prefolds and covers (Thirsties are my fav; Bummis or Flip are a good, inexpensive choice, too). Cheap and easy to wash.

 

Detergent does matter to me. Many can cause build-up, which will cause your diapers to stink. Real bad. There's a great comparison chart here: http://www.diaperjun...gent-chart.html

I can get a large jug of Ecos unscented at walmart for less than $9. It doesn't have to be super fancy or expensive, but I would pick one rated good for diapers. White vinegar is your friend, too, as already mentioned!

 

I never had a fancy pail or sprayer. I used a plastic trash can, no liner. Once we were in the solid stage, I dumped (and swished, if necessary) in the toilet. No biggie. I used plastic bags for dirty diapers while on the go.

 

Basically, you will figure out what works best for you, and it will be much easier than you think. :) I'm excited that cloth diapering is now an option for you!

 

I'm so excited....I can't even tell you! I will be using whatever is sent to me from another Hive member....my budget is nil.

 

I will go check out the link....as far as white vinegar, I use a few tablespoons in the "fabric softener" section of my washer with every load anyway (the guy who sold us our washer told us that it would help avoid gunk build up). Will that same method work for diapers?

[BlueTaelon]

You've gotten lots of good advice but one little bit no ones mentioned, get newborn disposables for the first few days, mec is a bear to get out of cloth, once you start seeing yellow poo switch to cloth:)

[k2bdeutmeyer]

You've gotten lots of good advice but one little bit no ones mentioned, get newborn disposables for the first few days, mec is a bear to get out of cloth, once you start seeing yellow poo switch to cloth:)

 

Now THAT, I had already planned on :)

[TammyS]

.my budget is nil.

 

 

That's not true. If no one gave you cloth diapers, you WOULD be buying SOMETHING.

 

That is your budget. I never bought disposables, but I know they aren't free. Just use whatever you would have used for disposables.

 

Covers: while the nice covers available now are great (at around $10 each), the old-fashioned "plastic pants" at about $3/6 do work. I don't prefer them, but I have used them and they are ok if you really and truly can't afford better. Or temporarily until you can.

[tearose]

I don't know how Craigslist is in your area, but here there are a lot of good deals on all things cloth-diaper-related (along with a few where you go :confused1: when you see the prices they want).

[AdventureMoms]

Suggestions for brands for wet bags?

 

I've used a few and don't see much difference. For the diaper bag get a bigger one than you think because you don't want to have to stuff the diaper in when it is gross. Otherwise I'd get whatever you can find cheap.

 

For covers I like Flip. Blueberries too if you can find them used for a sensible price. Do you have snappis?

[laundrycrisis]

For a pail, use a garbage can with a lid. Those bags let *smells* out. Even people who say, oh, as long as they get air circulating freely, they don't stink.

 

Wrong...Yes. They. Do. People just get so used to that smell in their own house that they don't notice it anymore. Believe me, it's there.

 

I lined the small garbage can with a cheap pillowcase. The pillowcase can go into the washer right along with the diapers.

 

Plan on a prewash and rinse, followed by a normal wash cycle, hot water, and a *very small amount* of some really *normal* detergent (not natural "soap", and with no fabric softener), and a normal rinse. Then, run the washer again, the exact same way, but with no detergent this time. Instead, put some white vinegar into the wash cycle.

 

Dry them in the dryer, but hang the covers to dry.

 

If you have a front loader, reconsider cloth diapers. Front loaders don't use enough water to clean them well.

 

If you want them clean and you only have a front loader to use, you will have to prewash them twice in a bucket (agitate by hand, like a normal washer would) before trusting them to the washing machine. And I would not put any detergent into a front loader with diapers. It will not be rinsed out if you do, and that is what causes cloth diapers to build up odor and become irritating to skin.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I've used a few and don't see much difference. For the diaper bag get a bigger one than you think because you don't want to have to stuff the diaper in when it is gross. Otherwise I'd get whatever you can find cheap.

 

For covers I like Flip. Blueberries too if you can find them used for a sensible price. Do you have snappis?

 

 

I don't know, lol. I haven't received the box from my gifter yet.

[BrookValley.]

FWIW, I have successfully washed cloth diapers for years in a front loader. I think there's trial and error involved no matter your washing machine situation. Hardness of water is a factor, too. I wouldn't reconsider cloth because I had a front loader.

[Snow]

After the previous thread I started my toddler on cloth! I'm late to the party but oh well. I meant to cd when she was born but got so overwhelmed with the choices I just gave up. Anyway, here's what I do:

 

I'm still nursing but obviously she's also on solids. She soils diaper. I still use huggies wipes so i wipe her up and throw away the wipes.:leaving: For solids, i use the wipey and flick solid into the toiet as best i can.

 

I use the Diaper Champ that I had for paper diapers and just put dirty cloth diapers in there with no bag. I only bought 9 diapers so I have to wash almost daily. I have a front load washer and run the diapers on the soak cycle but change the water temp to cold. That's a 30 min cycle. No detergent, no nothing. When that cycle is done I run them again on whitest whites which is a hot water/1 hour cycle. I use tide and some chlorine bleach. No softener.

 

I had to get Tide. We have hard water and previously I used Kirkland brand from Costco and I quickly realized that wasn't working. The diapers clearly still smelled bad.

 

ETA: my front loader had musty smell problems before so I wanted to get that taken care of first. I finally found something that worked fr that too....vinegar in the detergent section and baking soda in the softener section...run in sanitize. No more smell!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I do have a front loader.....I'm giving it a go anyway :)

[JeneralMom]

I have used cloth through 4 kids, into 5th now. I have only had front loaders and never had issues with smell or buildup. I do a single cold water rinse, normal hot cycle with extra cold rinse, add vinegar - easy peasy.

 

Are the fitteds for a single size or one-size fits all? You can very easily and cheapy knit or crochet wool nappy covers. There are free and cheap patterns online. You can also make your own prefolds out of terry, flannel or cotton if you cannot afford to buy them.

 

Also, you can order pocket diapers direct from the chinese manufacturer for between 5 and 9 dollars, including insert. The site is www.alvababy.com. I haven't tried them yet but will be ordering some.

[mom2samlibby]

For a pail, use a garbage can with a lid. Those bags let *smells* out. Even people who say, oh, as long as they get air circulating freely, they don't stink.

 

Wrong...Yes. They. Do. People just get so used to that smell in their own house that they don't notice it anymore. Believe me, it's there.

 

I lined the small garbage can with a cheap pillowcase. The pillowcase can go into the washer right along with the diapers.

 

Plan on a prewash and rinse, followed by a normal wash cycle, hot water, and a *very small amount* of some really *normal* detergent (not natural "soap", and with no fabric softener), and a normal rinse. Then, run the washer again, the exact same way, but with no detergent this time. Instead, put some white vinegar into the wash cycle.

 

Dry them in the dryer, but hang the covers to dry.

 

If you have a front loader, reconsider cloth diapers. Front loaders don't use enough water to clean them well.

 

If you want them clean and you only have a front loader to use, you will have to prewash them twice in a bucket (agitate by hand, like a normal washer would) before trusting them to the washing machine. And I would not put any detergent into a front loader with diapers. It will not be rinsed out if you do, and that is what causes cloth diapers to build up odor and become irritating to skin.

 

 

I used a front loaded and never prewashed in the bucket. I threw it all in the washer on extra wash. Then I did another wash. They always came out fine.

[BrookValley.]

Yeah, you'll be fine with the front loader. You'll just have to figure out which detergent and washing method works best for you and your specific water. But that will all happen as you go along...no big deal.

 

Here's a link to the seconds sale at Cotton Babies. They still have Flips and Econobums super cheap! http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=51

[FaithManor]

Do you have an old, fleece blanket around and a sewing machine? If so, you can make covers. There are free downloadable patterns online. All you need is a package of velcro or some snaps and elastic. The downside of sew in velcro is that it gets fuzzed up over time and doesn't seal as well, though you can take a scrub brush to the velcro and clean a lot of fuzz out of it. But, the downside to the sew in snaps is that if you don't have an attachment to put them in with your machine, you have to sew them in by hand, and they pull loose after several uses and must be tacked down again. The velcro is also soft when they roll over on their tummy.

 

Fleece doesn't ravel so the wonderful thing is that you can make a single layer cover, sew in one extra rectangle in the center extending up the back for extra leak protection, and then fold over only enough velcro to cover the elastic so it doesn't rub on baby's thighs. Use nothing wider than 1/4 inch unless 3/8 is all you can get.

 

You could make a bunch of covers for less than $10.00 if you have an old blanket around. A friend makes these for her babes and she usually gets three or four changes out of a cover before it begins to smell a little ripe. It was so much cheaper than buying covers and better for baby than plastic. Only if baby is sick and having THOSE kinds of diapers does she have a leak issue.

 

Faith

[justamouse]

If you have some knitterly friends, woolen diaper covers are amazing. And, like Faith said, fleece are also excellent.

[Alexigail]

We used disposable liners like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Imse-Vimse-Flushable-Liner-count/dp/B0009A3I5K

 

You have to make sure you have the right kind of plumbing, but they are awesome for keeping stains and stink out of diapers. They also make washing 10x easier.

 

My favorite diapers were motherease. They don't have as many frills but they get the job done and they are usable from baby to toddler.

[fairy4tmama]

Can you start setting aside what you would spend each week on disposable diapers now? If you can then just before baby is due you should be able to order enough covers to at least get you started. Then you can keep spending what yoiu would have on diapers untill you have enough.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I have used cloth through 4 kids, into 5th now. I have only had front loaders and never had issues with smell or buildup. I do a single cold water rinse, normal hot cycle with extra cold rinse, add vinegar - easy peasy.

 

Are the fitteds for a single size or one-size fits all? You can very easily and cheapy knit or crochet wool nappy covers. There are free and cheap patterns online. You can also make your own prefolds out of terry, flannel or cotton if you cannot afford to buy them.

 

Also, you can order pocket diapers direct from the chinese manufacturer for between 5 and 9 dollars, including insert. The site is www.alvababy.com. I haven't tried them yet but will be ordering some.

 

Not sure on the size of the fitteds. I think she's planning to mail this week sometime, so I'll have a better idea of what I have once they show up :)

 

I checked out that Chinese site and I'm intrigued!

 

Do you have an old, fleece blanket around and a sewing machine? If so, you can make covers. There are free downloadable patterns online. All you need is a package of velcro or some snaps and elastic. The downside of sew in velcro is that it gets fuzzed up over time and doesn't seal as well, though you can take a scrub brush to the velcro and clean a lot of fuzz out of it. But, the downside to the sew in snaps is that if you don't have an attachment to put them in with your machine, you have to sew them in by hand, and they pull loose after several uses and must be tacked down again. The velcro is also soft when they roll over on their tummy.

 

Fleece doesn't ravel so the wonderful thing is that you can make a single layer cover, sew in one extra rectangle in the center extending up the back for extra leak protection, and then fold over only enough velcro to cover the elastic so it doesn't rub on baby's thighs. Use nothing wider than 1/4 inch unless 3/8 is all you can get.

 

You could make a bunch of covers for less than $10.00 if you have an old blanket around. A friend makes these for her babes and she usually gets three or four changes out of a cover before it begins to smell a little ripe. It was so much cheaper than buying covers and better for baby than plastic. Only if baby is sick and having THOSE kinds of diapers does she have a leak issue.

 

Faith

 

Not sure that I do, but definitely something to keep in mind!

 

Can you start setting aside what you would spend each week on disposable diapers now? If you can then just before baby is due you should be able to order enough covers to at least get you started. Then you can keep spending what yoiu would have on diapers untill you have enough.

 

Well, that would be assuming that I had extra to put away, haha! Seriously, our budget is so tight that there is nothing left to budget after bills. It's ridiculous......that's why it is such a relief to not have to figure out where to pull diaper $$ from!

 

I don't think the actual diapers will be the issue/what I need. I was just trying to get an idea of what I might need in addition. Sounds like a garbage can and wet bag. I will add them to my list of things we still need. :)

[momto10blessings]

I do have a front loader.....I'm giving it a go anyway :)

 

You can definitely cloth diaper with a front loader. I HAD to use tide though. other detergents did not work. I had to bleach them every other week with other detergents. Also, use enough detergent. Cloth diaperers seem to think that you need just a tiny bit of detergent, but I found that I needed more than they suggested to get rid of the stink

[happypamama]

For a wet bag, in a pinch, you can just use a plastic grocery bag or ziplock bag. (I try to keep a few plastic grocery bags in the car for trash or in case I forget my wet bag or whatever.) But I made my toddler a bib a few months ago (using PUL bought with a coupon from JoAnn's) and had some PUL left over, so I whipped up a quick wet bag that velcroes shut. If you can sew even a little bit, this would be a very easy project (and with a coupon would cost less than $3, for a bag that will hold 2-3 cloth diapers plus covers, or a bulky nighttime diaper and cover and a sleeper).

 

Actually, I just checked; I thought I only had scraps of the PUL left over, but I actually have a pretty big piece. If you still need a wet bag and can wait about a week, I'd be happy to whip one up and send it to you. It's a yellow print with little monkeys that say "bananas for you." Nothing fancy, but it does the job just fine. :) (When I use it, I toss it in the wash inside out and hang to dry.)

 

I use the super cheap detergent free-and-clear detergent that is my grocery store brand, and it seems to work very well. When I notice that even wet diapers smell stinky, that's a sign that I have mineral and/or detergent buildup, so I do several hot washes in a row, without any detergent, to strip them. That seems to help a lot, but I also have insanely hard water, so mineral buildup is a problem with anything we wash often. I do use vinegar in the rinse sometimes as well, especially with a toddler, and that seems to make them smell good too. Normally, I do a cold prewash (which I often skip when they're still only getting breastmilk), a hot wash (sometimes soaking overnight, especially with toddlers), and a hot second rinse.

[happypamama]

I have heard that sometimes for front loaders, you need to toss a wet towel in so that the machine feels enough weight to produce plenty of water, but I don't know for sure since I have a top-loader.